Monday, March 23, 2009

I'm Back!

As usual, I did not intend to take a week and a half off blogging, but, well, since when do any of my plans really go the way I intend.

The Bishop and his wife were lovely. The weekend they were here, as you can imagine, was packed chock full. Friday night we had them here-fancy crostinis with mascarpone and blue cheese on some, and Micah's amazing hummus on others, with olives and roast red peppers on top to start, followed by salmon poached in a sauce of mayonnaise, wine, dijon, fresh dill and lemon, thinly sliced crisped in the oven potatos, salad, and for dessert, baked strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and peaches with cream or mascarpone on top. On the whole I think the food came out beautifully. The children were practically angelic. I don't know how I can complain about them any more because they were so golden-shaking hands, conversing politely, not throwing food, being helpful...now I'm bragging.

Saturday was a marathon run of touring the grounds, lunch, confirmation and vestry meetings, bible study, choir practice and finally a very fancy dinner out at the Kilmer Steak House here in Bing, which is the one place Matt and I choose to go if we go anywhere. I had the Shepherd's Pie and it was so delicious I found myself speaking French.

Sunday was an extravaganza of confirmation and food afterward. Boy, now that I think about it, we really just ate our way through the weekend.

Not surprisingly I lay on the floor on Monday and Tuesday and then Thursday. The children all either have allergies or a cold. Either way we're kind of stumbling along over piles of laundry and deeply grateful that we don't live on the lavish scale every day.

I've been trying also to tweak our vaguely disfunctional homeschool life. I've settled on Elphine getting into bed with me very early in the morning (she's a raving morning person and I am not) and reading to me while I try to wake up with tea. In this manner she is fresh and I am relaxed and she reads beautifully, rather than struggling with each other in the late afternoon. Then we do morning chores and carry on with the day as normal, only without the threat of reading over our heads. We do a sort of variable circle time with The Word of the Day, and This Day in History (I'll leave it to you to google, Cirlce Time comes from Preschoolers and Peace), and then the bulk of our memory work. Then lunch or something, and then math and other reading. It seems to be sort of going along.

But, if you want to know the Real reason I haven't been blogging its because we are happy to announce the news that another Kennedy Bun is on the way. We're so excited we can hardly stand it. All our family evenings are now given to trying to think of a suitable name, and arguing over whether it is a boy or a girl. So far my chidlren are lined up along the side of 'Jane' and 'Ted'. I have no idea where these preferences come from. As for me, I am totally sick-So Sick-I vowed to myself I would not complain, so I try to smile cheerfully as I lie dismally on the floor and direct traffic. But really, I've been complaining all the time. I'm probably about 7 weeks along but I haven't been to the doctor yet so I don't know.
'When will we have 100 children?' Alouiscious wanted to know yesterday.
'I don't know,' I said, 'why don't we start with 5?'
'Or ten' said Elphine, 'let's have 10'.
'Well, right now we're having five, that's a lot'.
'I guess,' they said.

14 comments:

Dr. Alice said...

Great Scott, what wonderful news! Congratulations, and I hope you feel better soon. If your tummy is bothering you, you can try Emetrol (over the counter and safe for pregnancy).

Get some rest.

eulogos said...

Congratulations!

I confess I was looking at "Gladys" toddle around after church Sunday and finding the sight delightful, and I had the selfish thought that I hoped you had not decided just yet to stop providing the world with such delights.

I got some relief from coke syrup. The druggist supplied it in a brown glass bottle, and it was the thick stuff coke is made from, minus a lot of the water and all of the fizz.

Ginger tea and even eating candied ginger also helped.

Perhaps these could be adjunctive therapies together with Dr. Alice's suggestion.

Again, Congratulations.
Susan Peterson

Amy said...

Congratulations!

Jessica Snell said...

Congratulations! I hope you make it swiftly through the sick-and-tired time!

SometimesWise said...

I too was thrilled with number five, and mine are ALMOST as closely packed together as yours. They are all grown now (my baby turns 19 this week), and are all [usually] the best of friends.
It makes the 14-loads-a-week and the spit-up in your hair and the NEVER EVER finding an actual PAIR of socks worth it!
Raspberry leaf tea works well for the all-day, all-pregnancy sick belly - and a constant supply of soda crackers.
Blessings to all, such wonderful news!

At A Hen's Pace said...

Anne--

How EXCITING!!! I am thrilled for you. Hope somebody's remedy is just the ticket for you. Wish I had one to offer, but nothing ever really helped me much that I can recall!

Bleh. I remember.

Also, I am glad you're finding a homeschooling rhythm. I think you'd have to call it functional, rather than dys-... if it's working for you!

Blessings to you all--

Jeanne

Anonymous said...

Hooray!!
Don't use Cairan, because apparently it's hugely popular atm. On the other hand, I'm quite taken with Saint Mabyn- nobody knows much about her, but she has a town in Cornwall. She's Welsh, though, not Irish.

~R

Carrie said...

Anne, I will be offering helpful and unhelpful names all through your pregnancy, but I like Moira for a girl and Liam for a boy. See you later!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to you and Matt! I will keep you in my prayers that your queasiness will be mild and soon disappear! :)

Katy said...

Congratulations!! I'm so excited for you. I'm sorry you're feeling sick. I know how awful it can be. I'd love to come and bring Addy to visit some time this spring if it works for you. we miss you.

Love, Katy

Anonymous said...

How wonderful!!!! Congratulations to all of you!

sjengelhardt

Bishop Bill Atwood said...

Hands down, no contest on names, the perfect name is obviously "Mephibosheth."
Every blessing,
+Bill

Geri said...

Congratulations. Hopefully the morning sickness will clear up soon. Having your child read to you while you come alive in the morning is a great idea. Have missed your posting. Glad the bishop's visit went so well. Wish I could have been there for Friday's dinner---it sounds fabulous.

Kerry said...

CONGRATULATIONS! I love the "let's have a hundred" comment. My kids are already asking when we are adopting another...good gravy people! :)

Wonderful news!